The official blog of center fielder Marlon Byrd

5/2 It’s going to be a fun summer

Home runs — gosh, when the wind’s blowing out of here, it can happen very easily, especially with these guys and this team. Everybody with the pop they have — Soriano, me, Derrek Lee, even Theriot can get it up in the air and it’s going out. Once we get our swings, it’s going to be a lot of fun this summer when the wind’s blowing out.

That Reynolds’ homer in the fifth Saturday — I had no clue where it was. That was one of those where I was trying to jump as high as possible to see if I could get a glove on it. By the time I was on the ground, I saw the ball fall. I wasn’t sure if it went over or bounced off. I was going to play it through regardless. I’m still going to play it through even if I know it’s a home run. I’m still going to fire it in. They have instant replay now, but you never know.

As far as our offense, the hits are coming. They’re coming. You can see everyone starting to get comfortable. I’ve heard about the Cubs in April and the Cubs from May on. Hopefully that’s a trend that continues from May all the way through the playoffs. I know everybody was worried, everybody was wondering, what Rudy was doing. Rudy said from Day One, it takes time. I knew that. When I worked with him, it took me about a year to really understand and get my swing going. You can see it — you can see everybody getting better.

You can see it in Fukudome, you can see it in Theriot. You see guys are a little different. Even with Geo. It’s all going to come out. Once we have our one through eight hitting, with the pitching we’ve been getting, it’ll be a lot of wins for us.

— Marlon

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21 Comments

dont forget about tyler colvin . ithink he would have 25 or more hr this year . byrd , theriot , lee , colvin . if you need a hit or drive a run in you can count on them they play has a team not for themselves if i was a mgr i would love to have them on my team. it shows that they play for the fans not for the money.
thank you and god bless

I just want to welcome you to the Chicago Cubs — the best baseball team in MLB. Not only do you have incredible skills, but you appear to have that special charisma possessed by so few. You have a sense of humor; you are intelligent and articulate; you have what it takes to command respect with nothing more than your quiet presence. I see this, also, in Derreck Lee. As an avid, long-time fan, I’m frustrated that I can only know you guys as I watch you play. I watch for those small signals of personality. What I would give for an hour to sit down and just talk . . . chat over a beer . . . with my second-favorite group of guys in the world (oh, did I mention that I’m also a King’s Singers fan . . . six men I have chatted with many times)?
Anyway, you are going to help make this summer a joy, and thanks for all you and the rest of the guys do.

Hi Marlon! I agree-it’s going to be a very fun summer, especially with you here! This past 3-game win streak (against Arizona) has been really fun to watch, and it looks like it was fun for you guys too. I can definitely see the improvement in the teams’ hitting, and like you said, if 1-8 all get hot….look out! We love having you here Marlon, and I wish you continued success throughout this year and every year. Your biggest fan, Rick.

Marlon, it’s great the Cubs finally have a solid center fielder that can hit the long ball. Ive noticed that the fans have really taken to you and thats just great. Your personality is what we’ve needed for quite some time.. I agree with what you’ve said and I know that when Rudy’s plan takes effect the Cubs are gonna shine right thru to the playoffs. IM so darn happy you’re here and hope its for several years to come..I truly beleive that the cubs have the total package they’ve needed for some time now…Agan,, welcome aboard and continued good playing…

Marlon – welcome to Chicago. You’re the exact kind of player Chicago fans love. You hustle every minute, you’re enthusiastic, you have fun playing the game, and you never gripe or complain. By the time summer rolls around, you’re going to OWN this city.

Marlon,
Dude you are fastly becoming one of my favorite Cubs…Im saving up a little out of each paycheck so I can buy one of your jerseys and wear it in the bleachers! Thanks for going all out everyday for us. I know I speak for everyone when I say that any player who plays the game like you and hustles like you would be loved on this team and in this city. I hope your hustle inspires the rest of our guys!
Thanks for everything!
-Ryan Peoria, IL

Marlon, I used to watch you play in Reading and I remember how excited everyone got when you came up to bat. I’m from the Philly area so I’m extremely glad to see you as a Cub. I get to rub it in all these Phils fans’ faces how they don’t have you anymore. Keep up the good work!

Welcome Marlon! To see your hustle in the outfield and on the bases is the ultimate “pump up” the Cubs need. That energy level has already pumped up us fans! Where do you store that energy at night? Keep that enthusiasm high and it will rub off. Best Byrdplay so far this year…… when you cleared out the opposing catcher while scoring a run, just plain ole Hard Play!….. not to mention the behind-the-back catch. Welcome to Chicago, “Hustle Muscle” Marlon!

Not only are you a great player and hitter but I can see your attitude is going to help our cubbies roll this year.I also love to see your sense of humor out there on the field.It’s nice to see players having fun in this beautiful game.Thank you for going to the cubs!

hey man.. told everyone before the season that I thought you were an average pick up and that there were other players i would’ve rather have seen signed by the cubs BUT I couldnt have been more wrong.. You have been the biggest standout on the team in my opinion and everytime I watch a game you show more hustle and motivation than I can recall in the last few yrs.. and I want to be completely clear when I say that if you were on the Cubs in recent yrs when they actually made the playoffs you wouldve been the one to put them over the top.. I cant wait to see what happens this year and see how you help the Cubs progress as the complete package in the MLB.. keep it up man and thank you for proving this Cub fan wrong and giving me hope once again

I suspect we fans are all pleased to see that Soriano’s bat has come back to life. But as I watch the replay of his 2nd home run on Sunday, I am reminded that his feet and legs remain lifeless. The ball just cleared the wall and he’s assuming it’s out of the park doing his watching – as opposed to running – down the 1st base line. He hadn’t made it to 1st base as it cleared the wall!! Mr. Byrd, I suspect you have plenty to spare: please give Mr. Soriano some of your hustle so he can turn those lazy long singles into legitimate running doubles. There will be game situations where this is going to be crucial and I know it’s already happened once this year!

Mr. Byrd, you have quickly become my favorite player on the team. Honestly, it is really a whole lot more because of your obvious hustle and great attitude than for your play on the field. Although, your play has been awesome!! Would you please teach some of these other guys to play half as hard as you do? I know Soriano has been hot of late hitting, but his hustle on the base paths and in the outfield would get him benched if he was on a High School team. Also, 7th inning vs Pirates tonight (5/5), Aramis (who seems unmotivated to get out of his slump) didn’t even think of trying to get in the way of the double play (much less break it up). Would you please tell him how good it feels to, as Bob Brenly says about you, “knock a middle infielder into the left-field bleachers”? Thanks and Go Cubbies!!

I have to say that you are fast becoming my favorite player. There can never be enough players like you in a clubhouse with your positive energy. I think this was one of Jim Hendry’s best free-agent signings to date because there isn’t a price tag you can put on a player who hustles and has the attitude that you have. I think your personality can only rub off on your teammates in a good; not just rookies but the veterans, as well. I’ve been following your career ever since you were the Phillies top prospect and glad that you are finally getting a chance to play on a everyday basis. I know your best years are yet to come. Good luck Marlon!

Marlon, great to see that the Cubs’ fans have taken to you so quickly. I came on this site before the season started and told them that they would. You always displayed yourself on and off the field the way a ball player and man should in my opinion. Thanks for all you did for us in Texas. Continued success my friend. I miss you being here.

Mighty Mike can hit them too. His grand slam, pinch hit was awesome. I really like Fontenot and I hate the fact that he once again drew the short straw. He is a really good 2nd basemen, and he has been hitting really well this year. Now he lost his job, through no fault of his own.

Last year he had to learn 3rd base on the fly, and he didn’t have a great season. That wouldn’t have happened if we would have had a back up 3rd basemen.

The only good thing that could come from this, is that hopefully he will be a better 3rd basemen this year, and we can use him there and bench Ramirez. Let’s really put the players on the field that are playing well, and Ramirez is NOT playing well.

hey man whats goin on. I just wanna say its so great to finally have an everyday centerfielder whom us cubs fans can trust to work hard. keep it up man this mini slumps is bound to end soon here just keep your head up, your too good of a ballplayer and work too hard to not.

also you should talk to some people around the cubs organization and see what you guys could do to team up w an a.l. team to get extra votes for you guys in the allstar game like phillie did with detroit last year! the cubs are a lovable franchise w many fans. why wouldnt they wanna team up with you guys! and it would be awsome to see a lot of cubs in the all star game. and if you ask me the best teams would be either the angels or twins haha

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